Rory MacDonald vs. Gleison Tibau headlines 2021 PFL 5 on June 17

Rory MacDonald will serve as the headliner for his second straight PFL event.

[autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] will serve as the headliner for his second straight PFL event.

On Wednesday, PFL officials announced the lineup for the second round of 2021 regular-season bouts for welterweights and light heavyweights, which take place at 2021 PFL 5 on June 17.  In the main event, MacDonald (22-6-1) faces fellow ex-UFC fighter [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (35-15) at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

MacDonald made good in his promotional debut, when he submitted Curtis Millender in the first round at 2021 PFL 2. The win placed the former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC title challenger at the top of the season standings, alongside reigning PFL champion [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag], who also notched six points when he choked out Jason Ponet in the co-main event.

Cooper (21-7-1) will serve as the co-main event once again when he takes on [autotag]Nikolay Aleksakhin[/autotag] (26-5-1). Also on the main card is 2019 PFL light heavyweight champ [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (23-8), who takes on Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Dan Spohn[/autotag] (18-8). Finally, leader on the light heavyweight board [autotag]Cezar Ferreira[/autotag] (14-8) will look to build off his 37-second knockout over Nick Roehrick when he faces [autotag]Chris Camozzi[/autotag] (25-15).

A grapplers delight between [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (11-5-1), who submitted Tom Lawlor in his promotional debut, and 2018 light heavyweight finalist [autotag]Vinny Magalhaes[/autotag] (19-12-1) will serve as the featured prelim.

The full 2021 PFL 5 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN 2, 9 p.m. E.T.)

  • Rory MacDonald vs. Gleison Tibau
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Nikolay Aleksakhin
  • Emiliano Sordi vs. Dan Spohn
  • Cezar Ferreira vs. Chris Camozzi

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. E.T.)

  • Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Vinny Magalhaes
  • Marthin Hamlet vs. Cory Hendricks
  • Jason Ponet vs. Joao Zeferino
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Curtis Millender
  • Tom Lawlor vs. Jordan Young
  • Aleksei Kunchenko vs. Sadibou Sy

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2021 PFL 2 weigh-in results: Alternate Askar Mozharov replaces Vinny Magalhaes

The weigh-ins are in the books for PFL’s second event of 2021, with light heavyweights and welterweights ready to kick off their season.

The weigh-ins are in the books for PFL’s second event of 2021, with light heavyweights and welterweights ready to kick off their season after hitting the scales at Wednesday’s official ceremony.

In the night’s main event, welterweights [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] (21-6-1) and [autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag] (18-6) each made weight without issue, with MacDonald at 170.6 pounds and Millender at 171. In fact, all eight welterweights on the card made weight without issue.

The same was true at light heavyweight, as well – though with one major change. Ukranian light heavyweight [autotag]Askar Mozharov[/autotag] (23-7) was called in as an alternate when 2018 PFL light heavyweight finalist [autotag]Vinny Magalhaes[/autotag] (19-12) required medical attention during his weight cut and was forced to withdraw from the event.

Mozharov made weight and will face [autotag]Jordan Young[/autotag] (11-1) at Thursday’s event, which airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+ from Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

The complete 2021 PFL 2 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Rory MacDonald (170.6) vs. Curtis Millender (171)
  • Ray Cooper III (170.8) vs. Jason Ponet (170.2)
  • Gleison Tibau (170.4) vs. Joao Zeferino (171)
  • Chris Camozzi (204) vs. Emiliano Sordi (205.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Antonio Carlos Junior (205.4) vs. Tom Lawlor (202.8)
  • Askar Mozharov (205) vs. Jordan Young (205.8)
  • Cezar Ferreira (205.4) vs. Nick Roehrick (205.4)
  • Nikolay Aleksakhin (170.8) vs. Sadibou Sy (170.8)
  • Marthin Hamlet (205.8) vs. Dan Spohn (205.4)

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Submission Underground 13 results: Craig Jones heel hook leads to verbal submission from injured Vinny Magalhaes

Craig Jones’ devastating leglock attempts proved successful once again, earning a verbal submission from fellow standout Vinny Magalhaes.

[autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag]’ devastating leglock attempts proved successful once again, with the Australian grappling ace earning a verbal submission from fellow jiu-jitsu standout [autotag]Vinny Magalhaes[/autotag].

The bout served as the featured contest of Sunday’s Submission Underground 13, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from a converted grain silo in Oregon without fans present as a safety precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Jones dropped to guard in the opening seconds of the matchup, initially latching on to Magalhaes’ left leg. Jones then went belly down while attacking the heel, but Magalhaes somehow worked free from an incredibly deep attempt, then went after his opponent’s legs to force a scramble. Jones pulled free, and the two reset on the feet.

Jones went to his back again on the restart, and there were a few odd moments as the two paused to speak while working on the floor. With microphones not quite picking up the conversation, it was difficult to understand the context, though it would become apparent shortly after. Jones continued to attack the left leg as the action resumed, though he would again occasionally stop and gesture toward Magalhaes inquisitively.

Eventually, it became clear that the earlier heel hook had caused some damage to Magalhaes left leg, possibly dislocating the ankle, and after some pressing, he eventually relented, leading to a verbal submission due to injury at the 4:21 mark of the contest.

In the night’s co-main event, Bellator welterweight [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] earned a surprising and quite impressive win over 10th Planet standout [autotag]Richie Martinez[/autotag].

Martinez showed his trademark trickiness early, using rubber guard to isolate his opponent’s right arm, but a few rapid-fire rolls saw an alert Vanderford slip out to safety. Once recovered, Vanderford did his best to try and work past his opponent’s guard, once forcing a brief timeout after accidentally striking Martinez’s face as he looked to dive past the legs. In the end, Martinez’s threatening guard made it tough for Vanderford to stay engaged, and the five-minute regulation ended as a stalemate.

In overtime, Vanderford set the tone with an incredibly quick escape from an armbar in the opening frame. Martinez responded in fine fashion, but his escape from back control was clearly much longer than his opponent’s work.

In the second overtime, Martinez started in back control, but as he transitioned to an armbar attempt, Vanderford again escaped in shockingly quick fashion. With momentum clearly in his fashion, Vanderford started on the back but locked in an arm-triangle choke as Martinez looked to spin inside. Vanderford sold out on the squeeze, and he earned the submission from a frustrated Martinez.

In the night’s first main-card contest, RFA and LFA veteran middleweight [autotag]Gabriel Checco[/autotag] submitted longtime UFC welterweight contender [autotag]Jake Ellenberger[/autotag] via reverse triangle choke.

MAIN CARD

  • Craig Jones def. Vinny Magalhaes via verbal submission (injury) – Regulation, 4:21
  • Austin Vanderford def. Richie Martinez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Overtime 2, 0:44
  • Gabriel Checco def. Jake Ellenberger via submission (reverse triangle choke) – Regulation, 1:52

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • [autotag]Ethan Crelinsten[/autotag] def. Andrew Alexander via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 1, 1:00
  • [autotag]Don Stoner[/autotag] def. [autotag]Alex Larmey[/autotag] via escape time – Full time
  • [autotag]Joe Baize[/autotag] def. [autotag]Nicholas Maximov[/autotag] via submission (heel hook) – Regulation, 2:31
  • [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] def. [autotag]Gabriel Austin Daffron[/autotag] via escape time – Full time
  • [autotag]Charlie Gilpin[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jake Smith[/autotag] via submission (kimura) – Regulation, 1:38
  • [autotag]Eric McConico[/autotag] def. [autotag]George Martinez[/autotag] via submission (armbar) – Overtime 1, 0:04
  • [autotag]Cody Kenaga[/autotag] def. [autotag]Jake Hargis[/autotag] via submission (toe hold) – Regulation, 2:06

Submission Underground 11: Boehm, Magalhaes claim tag-team win; Mike Perry outlasts Al Iaquinta

In a tag-team matchup, Kyle Boehm and Vinny Magalhaes claimed overtime victory over Craig Jones and Nicky Rodriguez at SUG 11.

In a tag-team matchup that Submission Underground founder Chael Sonnen calls “the future of grappling,” [autotag]Kyle Boehm[/autotag] and [autotag]Vinny Magalhaes[/autotag] claimed overtime victory over [autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicky Rodriguez[/autotag].

The bout served as the headlining contest of Sunday’s Submission Underground 11, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from Roseland Theater in Portland, Ore.

With Magalhaes and Rodriguez starting in the center, Magalhaes quickly scooted near his partner in a seated position. Rodriguez spent the better part of two minutes trying to gain control of either an arm or a leg in hopes of dragging his opponent to the other side of the cage, but his grip kept sliding off. Referee Dave Hagen then brought the competitors to their feet on a restart.

After some brief engagement, Magalhaes again took a seated positioin and backed to his teammate, leading to another restart. Shortly after, Rodriguez was warned for his aggressive hand clasps to the back of the head. Hagen tried to reposition the two, but it continued as a stalemate.

Hagen stood the pair again with a little more than two minutes left, but Magalhaes was able to get close enough to his partner for a potential tag, leaving Rodriguez cautious as he walked forward and resulting in a contest incredibly light on action. The eight-minute regulation period without a single submission attempt, and the contest went to overtime.

In the extra session, Rodriguez started on the attack, but Boehm stepped in for Magalhaes and escaped in near instantaneous fashion. Rodriguez’s teammate Jones – who later explained he chose to sit out because he had been ill all week – protested the call, but the rapid work stood. Boehm also started on the back in his attacking session, and though he didn’t get a submission, he did spend nearly the entire two minutes in control.

Rodriguez started on the back again in the second, and things got interesting when he switched to an armbar, but Boehm escaped the threat and worked free in 17 seconds. Boehm then saw Rodriguez roll briskly in his defense, and he also notched a rapid escape.

In the third overtime, Boehm again escaped almost instantaneously, and while Rodriguez also worked free in just 14 seconds, the lengthy opening ride ensured victory for Boehm and Magalhaes, who remained unapologetic for their strategy despite clear frustration from the crowd in attendance.

‘Boogeyman’ too much for Jake Shields

In the night’s co-main event, veteran grappler [autotag]Richie Martinez[/autotag], the 10th Planet black belt known best as “Boogeyman,” was able to submit former Strikeforce and EliteXC champion [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag].

With neither man able to secure a submission in either regulation or the first overtime, Martinez started from spider armbar in the second overtime, using a slick figure-four to peel off the defending right arm and extending the left rm while also securing the left leg to score a tap just eight seconds into the period.

In a featured match between two UFC stars, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] was able to outlast a gritty [autotag]Al Iaquinta[/autotag] in a clash that started as a grudge match but ending in both men showing respect for each’s effort.

Iaquinta earned a takedown almost immediately, but Perry responded from his back, looking to secure the arm. Iaquinta slammed his way out of the hold, and the two scrambled back to the feet shortly after. Iaquinta was able to secure a powerful trip-slam to the canvas, but he was immediately forced on defense with Perry attacking his leg. Iaquinta patiently worked his way free, and the two finished the regulation period in a stalemate on the feet.

In the first overtime, Iaquinta started on the back, but he was unable to secure the upper body, and Perry escaped in just 16 seconds. Perry took his offensive period on the back, as well, and while Iaquinta briefly worked to his feet, “Platinum” stayed firm. Iaquinta showed heart in squeezing off a rear-naked choke that seemed destined to end the contest, and Perry had to settle for the satisfaction of a near-two-minute ride.

In the second period, Iaquinta again started on the back and tried to start the setup for a twister. However, after giving up control of the upper body, referee Hagen ruled Perry was out of trouble and awarded him an escape in just 17 seconds. Iaquinta kept himself in the match though, escaping from Perry’s seatbelt in just 23 seconds.

In the final overtime, Iaquinta elected to start from the spider armbar setup and nearly extended the limb, but a gutsy effort saw him get through in about 14 seconds.

Perry then started on the back in his final attacking period, but Iaquinta turned and slam free in his fastest escape of the contest, just 10 seconds into the final frame. However, the initial lengthy ride from Perry earned him the win via escape time.

Austin Vaderford picks up controversial submission

In the night’s first main card matchup, undefeated Bellator welterweight [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] picked up a slightly controversial submission win over Canadian 10th Planet black belt [autotag]Micah Brakefield[/autotag].

Working in overtime, Vanderford was able to escape from his opponent’s seatbelt position in just six seconds. When it was his turn to attack, Vanderford nearly locked in a rear-naked choke, but his opponent refused to relent. When Brakefield was able to roll to his back, he thought he was awarded an escape. However, Vanderford was allowed to transition to an arm-triangle choke, and he earned a frustrated tap from his foe, who didn’t agree with the ruling.

Complete Submission Underground 11 results include:

MAIN CARD

    • Kyle Boehm and Vinny Magalhaes def. Craig Jones and Nicky Rodriguez via escape time – Full time
    • Richie Martinez def. Jake Shields via submission (armbar) – Overtime 2, 0:08
    • Mike Perry def. Al Iaquinta via escape time – Full time
    • Austin Vanderford def. Micah Brakefield via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Overtime 1, 1:15

PRELIMINARY CARD

    • Alex Larmey def. Andrew Marshall via escape time – Full time
    • Frank Rosenthal def. Brent Smith via submission (heel hook) – Regulation, 0:17
    • Samantha Bonilla def. Danielle Perry via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 1, 0:59
    • Joe Baize def. Clay Davidson via submission (reverse heel hook) – Regulation, 1:11
    • Andrew Gundlach def. Logan Skinner via submission (cloth choke) – Regulation, 4:42
    • Andrew Sidelinger def. Scott Jutras via submission (armbar) – Overtime 1, 0:13